Today, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility coordinated more than 40 volunteers to meet with their respective legislators in Olympia. Constituents from all over Washington State, including King County, Skagit County and Snohomish County showed up to advocate for commonsense gun violence prevention policies. We kicked off our day at the United Churches of Olympia to listen to our Advocacy & Policy Director, Tallman, and our Advocacy Coordinator, Dylan, give updates on the 2019 Legislative Session and a brief training on lobbying. The energy was as impressive as the amount of orange in the room! After the training, and fueling up on coffee and donuts, we broke out into groups organized by legislative district and set on our way to speak with legislators.

Right now, there are nine bills that remain in action between the House and the Senate. These bills would increase protections for domestic violence victims, clarify background check procedures for receiving a concealed pistol license (CPL) and prohibit undetectable and untraceable firearms (which can be 3D printed in someone’s home!) and much more. Thankfully, with the GVP majority in both the Senate and the House, we are shaping up to have the most successful legislative session the Alliance has ever had!

I’d like to offer a special shout out to Representative Lauren Davis from the 32nd Legislative District! Rep. Davis has an extensive background in mental health issues, and is a strong supporter of SB 5181 and SB 5205. SB 5181 would place a six-month temporary hold on an individual’s ability to possess or buy firearms if they have been put under a 72-hour involuntary hold. This bill is critical for the protection of our communities, and would reduce the risk of suicide. SB 5205 would remove an individual’s ability to own or purchase firearms if they have  been found incompetent to stand trial; and has a history of one or more violent acts. Rep. Davis assured her constituents that once these bills are on the House floor she will speak directly to the importance of such policies, using her mental health background to advocate for their passage! Rep. Davis is a great example of our GVP champions working to pass commonsense gun reform here in Washington state!

We’ll be sure to provide a full roundup on which of these bills became law at the conclusion of the legislative session. If you want to join us next time we head to Olympia, make sure you sign up here.

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–Logan Rysemus is the Advocacy Organizer at the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.